Tuesdays with Kelly

Speaker Fran Jones has been involved with The Savannah College of Art and Design for forty-five (45) years, and she will talk about her experiences in arts management, supporting the arts, and as Scholarship Search Coordinator. This TWK, we will also be presenting our annual Sylvia McConnell Scholarship award to a talented high school senior!

This month, TWK will be led by Burgin Mathews! He is a writer, radio host, and director of the Southern Music Research Center, a new nonprofit devoted to the preservation and presentation of the many diverse music histories of the American South. He will share with us details and a virtual tour of Southern Music Research Center’s new website, an online archive of rare photos, rescued recordings, and oral history interviews from a variety of southern music traditions. His book Magic City: How the Birmingham Jazz Tradition Changed the Sound of America, is due from the University of North Carolina Press this fall.

Artist Associate Cheryl Teel will be taking the lead this Tuesday with Kelly to discuss her painting process, techniques, and classes she offers. Learn the basics of paint pour techniques, get ideas from her process, and ask questions of an experienced artist!

Who’s Sy? She’s a delightful young artist now residing in Prattville. Her name is Syanne Culver, pronounced like “sci fi” but with -anne instead of fi. At just 23, she’s developed her own style. It starts with an homage to Mondrian, with straight lines, blocks of bright colors and stark contrasts. Then it begins to take a shape all its own, with references to African art and interesting curves. Sy very graciously agreed to step in as a substitute speaker this month. She’ll tell us more about herself and her art at Tuesday with Kelly, January 17. As always, it’s open to all. Come at noon, bringing a sack lunch. The Kelly provides a dessert and a beverage. This time you’ll get to see the new exhibit, “Chromatics: A Celebration of African-American Art,” if you missed the opening reception.

This TWK, Roosevelt Lewis will treat us all with a look into his extensive and wide-ranged art collection, including outsider art! Mr. Lewis is a member of the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University, and he was The Kelly’s first African-American member. Mr. Lewis grew up in Montgomery, attended Brooker T Washington, graduated from Jefferson Davis High School, and studied Theater Arts at Huntingdon College. He recently retired from the Alabama Personnel Department. It’s sure to be a wonderful TWK, so don’t miss it!